Sjani and the City

A really popular street game in HK is Pin-Down The Human. Game rule: Just try to literally crash onto someone as often as possible when you happen to be walking somewhere. At first I really thought "Am I invisible?" since people kept crashing onto me everytime I was on the street, also when there was actually enough space available for people to just peacefully pass by without even touching my skin. But with the time I slowly realize and understand that I do visible and that everybody here just fancy this bumping-and-crashing-to-others thing. So don’t be disappointed when you happen to experience the same. It’s not that you’re fat, it’s them who are playing their beloved street game. Could be that they’d be able to redeem their gained points (e.g. bigger number of human bumped onto equals bigger points) every end of the day.

I went to one of the thousand HK street shops in Causeway Bay today, and kinda found a simple white light sweater cute. I saw the price label say: "1 for 49 HKD, 2 for 90 HKD". As I already have a few sweaters at home, but none of them is white, I bought a white one with 49 HKD.

And then I left the shop. Actually with agony. I told myself, 90 HKD for two pieces of sweater is really not a big deal. And if I get another one in black it definitely won’t hurt me. I should anyway consider to slowly replace my favorite black Esprit sweater. I should give her a rest after accompanying me all these years and making me look pretty wearing her.

So after about 10 minutes max, I returned to the shop. Still the same person there, so I doubted that he already forgot my face and what I bought. So I approached him and told him that I have a second thought and decided to get a same sweater now in black. Sure he didn’t mind that I came to such a decision. So I made sure to him that for this second piece I’d have to pay 41 HKD since I’d paid 49 HKD for the first one about 10 minutes ago, referring to his special promotion. Then he looked at me as if I came from Mars, and then he said "Noooooo" and mentioned 45 HKD for this second sweater. I said "Why? I have bought this one (whilst showing him the white sweater) only about 10 minutes ago, and your promotion said 2 for 90 HKD!" Then he said something in Chinese with a gesture explaining something like I was already gone before and then came back. "So what?" I said. "It was only about 10 minutes ago!" But he insisted and didn’t want to give in. Then I couldn’t stand it anymore. "OK, then not", I said, and left.

4 HKD equals to 40 cents. But as we in Germany always say: "Es geht nicht ums Geld, es geht um Prinzip", it’s not about money, it’s about dignity, freely translated. I don’t like people playing games and trying things to me.

As I’ve experienced death of loved ones and will most probably face a few more in my future, I just think I really need to get this off my chest.

I think the party who suffers the most is those who are left behind, not the one who is going.

Funny how we mostly act as if we are sad for the deceased, while actually we are sad because we’re left alone in this crazy world.